GUEST EDITORIAL: Governor gets it right on 'ag gag'

Gov. Bill Haslam has acted on behalf of all Tennesseans, and everyone who values the U.S. Constitution, by vetoing the "ag gag" bill.

The governor deserves credit for getting into this fight against HB 1191/SB 1248, using his veto against a bill that was overwhelmingly supported by lawmakers in his own party.

Those lawmakers would be well-advised to accept Haslam's judgment, which was informed by the state attorney general's opinion and the indignation of thousands of Tennesseans, who perceived that this legislation would be not only merely unjust but also dangerous.

On every level, "ag gag" was a failure.

It sought to protect people who inflict pain and damage needlessly to living creatures - to intimidate those who witnessed abuse, thereby making prosecutors' jobs harder. It would have put journalists at risk, even if they were reporting on a crime that had nothing to do with animals, because the bill would have invalidated the state's shield law. And, whether or not its sponsors fully comprehended it, it would have stifled the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination that our country was built upon.

If that were not enough, "ag gag" nearly achieved one other misdeed: The people behind it put the entire farming community in Tennessee in a false light by suggesting all were in lockstep in support of this measure. We submit that those who did support it were misled by a few who had their own reasons for advancing this bill.

The legislation was built upon a lie. There is no need even for a revamped version of this bill to see the light of day, because the stated purpose of the bill, to prevent manipulation of animal owners by animal-rights groups, is a fiction. Just ask the prosecutors in the Jackie McConnell horse-soring case. They will tell you the evidence obtained by the Humane Society of the United States could not have been obtained in any other way.

Animal abusers do not advertise their wrongdoing, but the abuse must be stopped.

The Tennessean

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GUEST EDITORIAL: Governor gets it right on 'ag gag'

Gov. Bill Haslam has acted on behalf of all Tennesseans, and everyone who values the U.S. Constitution, by vetoing the 'ag gag' bill.